NASA recently released the Artemis II menu, and it’s a fascinating mix of engineering, biology, and human preference. Things like tortillas (because crumbs in microgravity are chaos), rehydratable meals like mac and cheese, carefully measured coffee (of course), shelf-stable everything — because there’s no fridge on the way to the Moon.
So what’s NASA saying about eating?
1. Food depends on the mission phase
- During launch and landing, astronauts cannot rehydrate food (who would eat food then anyway one wonders)
- So they must eat ready-to-eat items only
- Once systems are running → they can use water to prepare meals
2. The spacecraft defines the menu
- Food is selected based on what the Orion spacecraft can physically support
- Water availability, heating capability, timing — all shape what’s possible
3. No fridge, no resupply, no second chances
- Everything must be:
- shelf-stable
- safe for the entire mission
- pre-selected in advance
4. Variety is intentional (psychology matters)
One of the things we discovered with the food research for long-duration astronaut training is this. The one thing, the most important thing that will keep people entertained during long-duration space flight is preparing meals. So here’s what’s going around the Moon:
- ~189 food items, including tortillas, nuts, granola, meats, desserts (oh, yes) , multiple drinks and even hot sauces. Food is not just fuel, it’s morale.
So the question is not what do astronauts eat, but what CAN they eat (no pun intended).
Download the Artemis II menu here
